A tradition that was created in 1998 by the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group has survived 18 years of fighting the war against counterfeiting and would continue to strive to make sure counterfeiting is a thing of the past. World Anti Counterfeiting day is celebrated on the 8th of June every year to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeiting and piracy on all aspects of society.
If you have been an avid reader of our blog, you would see that in several articles we have highlighted the dangers of counterfeiting in many industries. From pharmaceuticals to spare parts and even to beverages, every industry is affected by this issue. The developed world suffers this problem just as much as the emerging markets. The question is how can we ensure this problem is eradicated for good? There have been some creative solutions but we can list ways in which we think this problem can be minimized and subsequently eradicated.

Solutions on this World Anti Counterfeiting Day

Consumer awareness to the availability of these products in the industries that they exist. When consumers are aware of the dangers and long term implications of patronizing these products, they are less likely to go ahead and purchase these products. Yes, you would still have the consumers that say they don't understand the harm in purchasing counterfeit clothing, shoes etc. The implications on businesses and the economy as a whole need to be communicated to the consumers as well to ensure they understand the impact of their decisions.

Adequate punishments need to be issued to the offenders and people knowingly patronizing the offenders. Once people recognize that their actions in patronizing counterfeiters and even counterfeiting products itself have serious consequences if they are caught, they are less likely to indulge in these actions.

Surveillance and enforcement need to be strengthened at the borders where these goods penetrate a country. They also need to be strengthened at the source where the manufacture of these fake products occur. The counterfeiters need to know their actions are being monitored and the regulatory officials need to be disciplined enough to follow up with enforcement to ensure there is no incentive in continuing in the line of business of these harmful products.

Technology like Sproxil and other mobile authentication services needs to be implemented to protect products that have suffered counterfeiting issues in the past or are likely to suffer these issues in a new market. This way if the above steps fail, consumers are empowered to fight counterfeiting so it does not cause harm to unsuspecting members of society.

This anti-counterfeiting day is not just another day to talk about dangers of counterfeiting but we should shape the narrative to discuss how best we can fight the issue at hand so in future years we can use the 8th of June to celebrate how we conquered counterfeiting.

What ways do you think we can fight counterfeiting? Share your thoughts!